Steering-gear for vehicles.



H. SCHUMACHER. STEERING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1911.

' Patented June 25, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY S GHUMACHER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

STEERING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SCHUMACHER. a citizen of the Unite'd States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of few York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steering-Gears for Vehi- 'cles, offwhich the following is a specificaof 2 sheets: F igurel is a vertical longitudi- 'nal's'ectio'n ot my improved steering knuckle knuckle of automobiles.

This, invention relates to a steering gear or mechanism for vehicles and more particularly to what is known-as the steering As is well 'known the steering knuckles of such vehicles as now constructed form one of the most important parts of'an automobile owing to the immense strainto which they are subjected and the liability of breaking the same.

It is theobject of this invention to provide a knuckle forsteering mechanisms of this character which is so constructed as to increase its strength and durability, which can be produced at comparatively low' cost, and which can be readily assembled or dismemberedl v V In the accompanying drawings consisting applied to a wheel and axle. plan view thereof with the spokes of the wheel shown in section. Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical transverse sections taken in the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. l.

Similarcharacters of. reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 7 j

l represents part of the steering axle of a vehicle such as an automobile. At each end this axle is provided with .a spherical-knob or pivot ball 2. Upon this ball is pivotally mounted anaxle arm or arbor which has a contractedouter part 3 and an enlarged inner'part l and which .is provided With a Fig. 2 is a top socket 5extending axially from the inner end of the axle arm. Thebottom of this socket is of semi-spherical or'balhshaped form and is engaged by the periphery of the pivot ball. I

The pi vot ball is held inengagement with the spherical'socket of the axle arm by means of a -r ni nection which permits the axle arm to turn horizontally relatively to r the ball but prevents the same from being witlnlriuvu lengthwise therefrom. In its preferred form this connect on comprises a the axle arm, as shown in Fig. l.

' of the Specification of Letters Patent. t t June 5, 1 Application filed August 12, 1911. Serial No. 643,699.

vertical pivot pin having a cylindrical body 6, a conical head 7 at the upper end of the pivot ball and its upper andlower ends areseated in cylindrical parts 10, ll of upper and lower openings formed in the adjacent parts of the axlearm above'and below the ball-shaped part of the socket therein. The conical or tapering head of the pivot pin is seated'in a correspondingly shaped upper part 12 of the upper openingof the axle arm and forms an upward extension of the up per cylindrical seat '10. The screw threaded shank of the pivot pinengages with the reducedscrew threaded part 13 of the lower opening of the axle arm and forms a downward extension of the lower cylindrical seat 11. By this means a firm support for the pivotpi-n at opposite ends thereof is pro vided on 'theaxle arm which affords the maximum resistance to breakage. This pivot pin may be held against loosening by various means, for instance, by means of, a lock screw 14 engaging with a threaded opening formed pivot pin and partly in the adjacent In order to reduce the wear upon the pivot pin and the opening of the pivot ball and thereby maintain a tight joint between the,

axlearm and ball the openmg in the pivot ball is made of larger diameter thanthe body of the pivot pm and bushings-15' of bronze or other durable material are inserted into opposite ends of the pivot'opening.

of the ball so as to receive the adjacent parts for. The outer-end of each of thes'ebushings preferably conforms to the spherical surface of the pivot ball and bears against the socket in the axle arm and the outer end of each bushing is also enlarged, as shown at 16, and engages with a rabbet or counter bore 17 formed in the adjacent outer endof the opening of the pivot-ball, whereby cooperating shoulders are formed betweenpartly in the head of the 7 part of pivot body and form bearings there each bushing and the pivotball, so that in'-' I ward displacement of the'bushin'g relatively to the ball is prevented.

Inorder'to aid in resisting vertical displacement. of the axle arm relatively to the is provided with upperand lower horizontal are provided on: their opposing sides- "with enlargedpart of the-axle arm. If desired,

axle and relieve the pivot pin of strains in this direction the inner end'of'the axle arm flanges 18, 19 which are arranged transversely above and below the axle and which horizontal bearing shoes 20, 21- engaging with bearing faces 22, 23 formed on the upper and-lower sides of the .axlea'djacent. to

the inner side of the pivot ballthereotl. As the axle arm turns horizontally on the axle ball,

the shoes slide horizontally. upon the upper r and lower bearing faces of thetaxle and thereby aid 111. preventing vertlcal movement of theaxle arm relatively'to the axle proper when subjected to heavy loads or strains.

The horizontal turning movement of the axle arm may be produced by various means extending from the axle arm to the steerlng wheel adjacentto theoperators seat. Or

dinarily 't his'connection comprises but a single annex-tending inwardly from the axle armwhich construction is weak and liable 'to become bent or brokenwhen subjected to heavy strains. In the present case this sinle arm is replaced by a duplex arm which is'constructed in the form of an open frame and comprises alongitudinal barQd secured to the upper flange '18 at the rear or inner end of the axle arm anda bow 25 projecting horizontally inward from opposite ends of the longitudinal bar. On the central part of this bow is mounted a coupling pin 26 whereby this duplex arm is .pivotally connected with ashifting rod of the mechanism leading to the operators seat. Upon shifting the duplex arm backward or forward by means of this shifting rod the'axle arm and the parts mounted thereon are turned accordingly for steering the vehicle. This construction of shifting arm isucompa-ratively light and much stronger than the means heretofore used for shifting'the axle arm, thereby increasing the safety in the operation of'automobiles. a

Various means 'may be employed for lubricating the jointbet-ween the pivot ball andaxle arm but the means shown in the drawings are suitable and-comprise an oil cup 27 screwed with its lower end intoan opening 28 formed. centrallyon the longitudinal'bar 24 of the duplex shifting arm, and an inclined duct 29' extencling"fro1n"the openingZS- through the longitudinal bar 2% and upper part of the axle arm tovthe upper part of the pivot pin and upper bushing, whereby'oi'l is conducted from the oil cup to the upper endof the pivotpin and bushing and then passes downwardly to the lower end ofthis pivot'pin and the companion bushing, thereby thoroughly lubricating these parts.

The wheel whioh is mounted upon the axle arm may be of any suit-able onstruct-ion but that shown in the drawings is preferred and constructed as follows: 30 represents a tubular hub barrel having a contracted outer part 31 which surrounds the contracted part of the axle arm and. anenlarged inner part 32 which surroundsthe this hub barrel may turn directly upon the axle arm but it is preferable to employ an nular rows of balls 33,34 between the adj acent outer ends. of'the axle arm and hub barrel and between the adjacent inner ends of the hub barrel and axle arm, as shown in Fig. 1. .The hub barrel is confined on the axle arm by means' of a retaining washer or disk 35 mounted on a screw threaded stem 36 attheouter endof tlie' axle arm and projecting overthe front end of the hubbarrel,

Dust is excluded from the outer ball bearing by means of a cap 38 screwed onto the outer end of the hub-barrel andinclosin the adjacent row of: balls, retaining diskand. nut. r

39 represents the. spokes of the wheel which are-secured at their inner ends between a fixed rear annular flange 4:0 preferably formed integrally with the hub barrel at the rearmend thereof and a' removable flange or ring 11 mounted by means of a I driving fit on the inner end of the enlarged part of the hub barrel. The two hub flanges and the wheel spokes between the same are connected together preferably "by means of rivets 42, as shown in the drawings, although. any other suitable means maybe employed, if desired. The inner ends of the opposing sides of the hub flanges are provided with shoulders 43, 43 for the inner ends of the spokes to rest against, thereby increasing the supporting surface of the and strengthening the spokes on the hub wheel accordingly.

The'rear flange of the hu-b 'is' providedon its rear side with an annular rim 44 which.

projects over the periphery ofa companion annular rim 45 at the rear end of the axle arm for the purpose ofexcluding dust and dirt from the rear ball bearing. To the underside of the axle arm flange 19 is secured a coupling armAG which is adaptedtobe The spokes of the wheel are vertically in line with the pivot between the axle arm and axle thereby causing any strain to which the wheel is subjected to strike the dead center ofthe pivotal connection between the axle arm and axle, thereby enabling this joint to o'fler the maximum resistance to any force which would tend to break or destroy the same, thus ineremiug the safety of the SiTLGlillfJj lnOQlitllllSlll :lt'tnl'tlingly.

I ('ltlllll as my invention:

A steering gear for rehirles comprising an axl arin having a spherical eoeket at its inner end, an' unthreaded opening arranged on the upper side of said socketand having a cylindrical lower pa rt and a conical upper part, and an opening arranged on the lower verlieal pivot opening, and an upright pivot pin having-a r \'liiulriral bo y whieh has its central part arranged in the pivot opening of the knuekle while its uppe' and 'ower ends fit the unthreaded cylindrical parts of said upper and lower openings, a roniral head at the upper end of said body tilting the conical part of said upper opening and a lower reduced threaded end engaging with the threaded part of said lower opening.

Witness in hand this 3rd day of A -'u ;t,

HENRY SCHUMACHF T. WVitnesses:

FRANK SCIIUMACDZER, Bnnxinnn W. SCHMIDT. 

